The notebook PC market grew by 41 % to 33 million units in the fourth quarter of 2007, and by 14% quarter-on-quarter, according to DisplaySearch, reports DigiTimes in Taiwan. It says:

Of particular note is that Acer, which had been a distant third to Dell, dramatically narrowed the gap to its rival excluding its acquisitions of Gateway and Packard Bell and overtook Dell when these acquisitions are included.

Also, it reckons brands that sell via retail are usually doing better than ones that sell direct:

DisplaySearch analysis indicates that the increasing transition of consumers from desktop PCs to notebook PCs is having a direct impact on brands' growth and market share. Brands with established enterprise and retail presences have had the most success in growing market share in the past several quarters. This helps to explain the faster than average growth for HP and Acer.

However, this doesn't seem to hold true for Toshiba, which sells mainly via retail channels.

Asustek's 50% growth would seem to reflect the success of the Asus Eee PC.

Dell, of course, has now moved into retail -- its outlets include Tesco, in the UK, and Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy and Staples in the US. However, if results are positive, they could take a while to make a difference.